| For his second solo exhibition at Guild and Greyshkul, “The Navigator’s Quarters Must Not be Disturbed,” Halsey Rodman proposes the conceit of an absent doppelganger—the Navigator—in order to explore the very nature of the creative process, space, time and the metaphysics of existence. In the central portion of the gallery, the artist constructs a dwelling for this mythical character, with all the stuff that dreams are made of, which is to satisfy an explorer with philosophical predilections. Heady stuff. |  |
Presenting the Navigator – E.K. Clark
For his second solo exhibition at Guild and Greyshkul, “The Navigator’s
Quarters Must Not be Disturbed,” Halsey Rodman proposes the conceit of an absent doppelganger—the Navigator—in order to explore the very nature of the creative process, space, time and the metaphysics of existence. In the central portion of the gallery, the artist constructs a dwelling for this mythical character, with all the stuff that dreams are made of, which is to satisfy an explorer with philosophical predilections. Heady stuff.
A seven-foot silver wall divides the gallery into three spaces, conceptually based on a third of a hexagon. This proves to be a successful formal strategy as the viewer must confront separate parts of this intriguing conundrum, in real-time walking, as if in a “living environment” or architecture; as an installation of painting and sculpture.
The artist is involved with the process of transformation of the immaterial—as in vapor and smoke—into concrete lyrical objects made from a variety of materials such as painted aluminum foil and dry clay. These works are particularly compelling as hybrid forms, which fuse the disparate acts of painting, sculpture and drawing in space. The three drawings, I Am Turning into Mist, play with state-change in a poetic use of language and colored brush strokes.
From another perspective, Rodman delves into phenomenology—by inviting a group of 12 people to sculpt him from observation. Each person was asked to produce two parts. In the artist’s words: “The fragmented vision of the ‘multipliers’ mirrors our experience of our body.” The Navigator sculpture embodies this fragmented experience. Two figures hover above each other with the disparate parts attached with aluminum rods, painted black—an intriguing work reminiscent of Bruce Nauman’s similar explorations.
Halsey Rodman has a rich lexicon of forms which include both geometric—the hexagon, for example—and the organic, figurative elements. The gallery windows are profusely decorated with hexagonal structures. The other side of the silver partition extends the geometric experience with Platform for Double Event, a handsome plywood piece which seems to reference games of chance and The Personal Effects of the Navigator: Coffee Table With Double Pickle. The Lamp rounds out the Navigator’s personal effects casting a curious eccentric light.
The artist has a far-ranging intellectual curiosity and a wonderful capacity for invention. For an art lover, this exhibition may be an overwhelming experience—there is just too much to see—one idea competes with another. The Navigator’s Quarter’s… lacks focus and would benefit from some serious editing, but nevertheless it is a must-see.
Robert De Saint Phalle presents Flotsam in Greyshkul’s Gallery 2. Here’s another artist to watch. Flotsam, a seven-foot piece carved from foam, includes steel, enamel and plastic. At first glance, the piece resembles a huge painted log or a piece of drift-wood. In turning the corner, one encounters a white bedroom ensconced inside the carved space with a futuristic up-to-the-minute design. De Sainte Phalle seems to be addressing a post-apocalyptic scenario while at the same time expressing a universal yearning for a secret refuge from a not-so-perfect world.
